How to write Lyria 3 prompts
Google Cloud's prompting guide for the Lyria 3 models, by Katie Nguyen and Hussain Chinoy (April 2026), puts six parts in a fixed order. Every card here follows it:
- Genre and style: "1970s soul ballad", or a blend of two genres.
- Mood: one or two words, such as "wistful but hopeful".
- Instrumentation: three to five named instruments.
- Tempo and rhythm: a BPM number, or "slow and swaying", "half-time feel".
- Vocals: voice, delivery and language, or "Instrumental" to drop them.
- Lyrics: after "Lyrics:" or under [Verse] and [Chorus] tags, on their own lines.
The Lyria prompt guide from Google DeepMind adds two habits: describe how the music flows from one section to the next, and put echoed backing vocals in parentheses.
Line breaks reach Lyria as typed, so tags and timestamps keep their shape. Google also rewrites every prompt before generating and never shows the rewrite.
Describe the style, never the artist
Lyria 3 rejects any prompt that names a real artist, producer, album, song or persona, and "not like" plus a name fails the same way. Google's policy also blocks requests for a specific artist's voice and for copyrighted lyrics.
Brand, place, gear and plugin names and genre slang get through, so translate "make it sound like" into what you can hear:
- Era and place: "late-90s UK garage", "1970s West African highlife".
- Gear: "tape-saturated drums", "a vintage analog synth bass".
- Delivery: "breathy alto, conversational, doubled on the chorus".
- Mix: "dry, upfront drums, wide reverb on the vocal".
Google enforces the name rule upstream, so no Playcut setting turns it off. A lyric stacked with violent imagery can trigger a softer block; remove that line.
Which Lyria 3 version to draft and finish on
Draft on Lyria 3 Clip, a fixed 30-second track for 20 credits, until the style is right. Then run the final prompt on Lyria 3 Pro, about two minutes with full song structure, for 40 credits. Both bill flat per song, so a retry costs what the first try did.
| Detail | Lyria 3 Clip | Lyria 3 Pro (default) |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Fixed at 30 seconds | About two minutes, with verses, choruses and an ending |
| Credits per song | 20, flat | 40, flat |
| Length control | None; length hints in the prompt are ignored | A chip (Auto, 1m, 2m, 3m) that adds "Create a N-minute song." to your prompt |
Both return MP3 at 44.1 kHz stereo with a SynthID watermark. Up to 10 attached images set the mood, but the prompt can't point at one, and with no seed every run is a new song. The Lyria 3 Clip and Pro credits and limits page has the full breakdown.
Beds for a 30-second ad
A Clip is exactly 30 seconds, the length of the spot. Each bed is instrumental, names a BPM and spells out the energy arc, so the lift lands where the offer does.
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Skincare launch
Clip · 30 s · 20 crModern minimal pop, fresh and confident. Plucked synth, soft sub bass, finger snaps, 104 BPM. The pluck starts alone, the beat joins after a few bars, a wide pad lifts the final third, ending on one clean chord. Instrumental. -
Coffee brand morning
Clip · 30 s · 20 crAcoustic folk-pop, warm and easygoing. Strummed nylon-string guitar, upright bass, shaker and hand claps, 92 BPM with a gentle swing. Guitar alone at first, bass and claps join halfway, finishing on a held major chord. Instrumental. -
Sneaker drop
Clip · 30 s · 20 crHard-hitting trap, bold and swaggering. Punchy 808s, fast hi-hat rolls, a detuned synth lead, brass stabs, 140 BPM, half-time feel. A short riser into a heavy drop within five seconds, a steady groove, then a hard stop on the final beat. Instrumental. -
Finance app, calm and trusted
Clip · 30 s · 20 crClean corporate electronic, calm and reassuring. Soft marimba pattern, warm pad, gentle kick, off-beat shaker, 110 BPM. Light and airy at first, building slowly as a rising bass line enters, resolving on a bright sustained chord. Instrumental. -
Food delivery, playful
Clip · 30 s · 20 crUpbeat funk, cheeky and playful. Slap bass, clavinet riff, tight drums, short horn hits, 112 BPM. Opens on a horn hit, bounces through the middle, adds a horn line near the end and finishes on one staccato stab. Instrumental. -
Fitness app, driving build
Clip · 30 s · 20 crDriving electronic dance, determined and energetic. Four-on-the-floor kick, pulsing sawtooth bass, arpeggiated synth, claps, 128 BPM. Filtered and quiet at first, then the full beat opens up, a snare roll climbs, and it lands on one impact hit. Instrumental only, no vocals.
Music that sits under dialogue
Music under a voice stays out of its way: few instruments, a low and simple melody, an even level, no singing. Use Clip for a 30-second spot and Pro for longer cuts.
Time the voiceover the music sits under
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Product explainer with a narrator
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crLight ambient electronic, curious and even, under a narrator explaining a product. Soft pulsing synth, sparse glassy bells, a low pad, 90 BPM, a faint tick for rhythm. Middle frequencies left open for the voice, a low simple melody, a steady level. Instrumental only, no vocals. -
Customer testimonial
Clip · 30 s · 20 crGentle acoustic, sincere and hopeful, under a customer talking to camera. Fingerpicked steel-string guitar, a few soft felt piano notes, a very quiet cello, 76 BPM. Sparse, steady and low in the mix from start to finish. Instrumental only, no vocals. -
Screen-recorded tutorial
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crRelaxed downtempo groove, friendly and focused, for a tutorial with voiceover. Muted electric guitar, round bass, a soft brushed kit, 84 BPM. One even groove that never builds or drops, every instrument soft and kept below the voice. Instrumental only, no vocals. -
Founder telling the story
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crUnderstated cinematic, reflective and warm, under a founder telling the company's story. Slow piano chords, a soft string pad, a distant synth pulse, 70 BPM. Quiet and level under the speech, with one gentle swell near the end. Instrumental only, no vocals. -
Apartment walkthrough
Clip · 30 s · 20 crSmooth jazz-house, polished and inviting, under an apartment walkthrough. Electric piano chords, a soft four-on-the-floor kick, brushed hi-hats, 118 BPM. Background level throughout, with the same gentle groove from the first bar to the last. Instrumental only, no vocals.
Scores with timed sections
Each timestamp block sits on its own line so the music can change on a cut. These need Pro, since Clip stops at 30 seconds. Set the length chip at or just above your cut, and check the timing in your editor.
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60-second brand film
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crCinematic orchestral score for a 60-second brand film, hopeful and rising. Strings, felt piano, French horn, soft timpani, 72 BPM. Instrumental. [0:00 - 0:15] Intro: solo felt piano, spacious. [0:15 - 0:40] Build: low strings and a timpani pulse. [0:40 - 1:00] Peak: full strings and horn, then piano alone to close. -
Product demo in three beats
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crModern electronic score for a product demo, sleek and precise. Synth plucks, deep sub bass, crisp electronic drums, 120 BPM. Instrumental. [0:00 - 0:10] Intro: ticking hi-hat, one pluck. [0:10 - 0:30] Feature one: full beat, bouncy bass. [0:30 - 0:50] Feature two: brighter lead melody. [0:50 - 1:00] Outro: beat drops away, one sustained chord. -
90-second travel montage
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crUplifting world fusion for a 90-second travel montage, adventurous and sunny. Hand percussion, nylon-string guitar, bright flute, deep frame drum, 100 BPM. Instrumental. [0:00 - 0:20] Dawn: flute and guitar only, gentle. [0:20 - 1:00] Journey: hand percussion drives, faster strumming. [1:00 - 1:30] Arrival: frame drum hits, full ensemble, a ringing final chord. -
Tension, then the reveal
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crDark cinematic trailer score, tense then triumphant. Low string ostinato, taiko drums, brass, a ticking clock, 85 BPM. Instrumental. [0:00 - 0:20] Tension: low strings and ticking, very quiet. [0:20 - 0:45] Rise: taiko hits closer together, brass swells. [0:45 - 0:50] Pause: one low held note. [0:50 - 1:10] Reveal: full brass theme, major key.
Full songs with your own lyrics
Style first, lyrics last, each section tag on its own line. Every lyric here is original; Google blocks copyrighted lyrics, so write your own or adapt these.
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Indie folk with tagged sections
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crWarm indie folk, wistful but hopeful. Fingerpicked acoustic guitar, upright bass, brushed drums, 88 BPM. Soft close-mic male vocal in English. [Verse] Paint is peeling on the gate Buses running twenty late [Chorus] Still I'm walking home to you Every street I know leads through [Bridge] Easy now, the lights are on -
Pop anthem with echoed backing vocals
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crBig, bright pop anthem, euphoric. Stomping kick, handclaps, glossy synths, 122 BPM. Confident female lead in English; backing singers echo the words in parentheses. Lyrics: We light the whole block up (whole block up) Turn the quiet into sound (into sound) Hands high, we're not coming down (coming down) -
1970s soul ballad
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crSlow 1970s soul ballad, tender and aching. Electric piano, warm bass, soft horns, 66 BPM. Raspy male tenor in English, falsetto on the chorus. [Verse] Coffee's cold, the radio hums Sunday waits and no one comes [Chorus] Leave a light in the kitchen for me I'm three streets from where I should be -
Country story song
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crAcoustic country story song, heartfelt. Steel-string guitar, pedal steel, fiddle, light shuffle drums, 96 BPM. Warm female lead in English, gentle twang. [Verse] Dad's old truck still smells of pine Keys hung up by the feed store sign [Chorus] Gravel roads and one-lane towns That's the ground I'm putting roots down -
Boom-bap verse and hook
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crHead-nodding 1990s boom-bap, confident and warm. Punchy sampled drum break, upright bass loop, piano stabs, 90 BPM. Smooth male rapper in English, relaxed flow. [Verse] Up at six, the city's still yawning Notebook full of plans since the morning [Chorus] Brick on brick, we raise it slow Every floor a place to grow -
Brand anthem for a launch film
Pro · ~2 min · 40 crUplifting pop-rock anthem for a launch film, proud and warm. Chiming electric guitars, driving bass, big live drums, 116 BPM. Bright female lead in English, a layered choir on the chorus. [Verse] Started in a garage with a borrowed light [Chorus] Kettle and Kite, we make the mornings bright Kettle and Kite, we built this day and nightSwap in your own brand name. Brand names get through Lyria's filter; artist names don't.
Loops, stingers and intros for social
Clip always returns 30 seconds, even for a three-second sting, so the hook comes first and the rest stays easy to cut. For a loop, ask for an ending that leads back to the start.
Making a Lyria 3 track in the music studio
Once a card is in the music studio prompt box:
- Pick Clip or Pro on the toggle beside the app selector. Pro is selected by default at 40 credits; Clip is 20.
- Set the length on Pro with the chip, or leave it on Auto.
- Attach up to 10 frames from your cut if the pictures should steer the mood.
- Generate. Credits are held at submit and refunded if the job fails or is cancelled.
Lyria is single-turn, so every revision is a new song and a new charge. Over MCP and the REST API, the generate-music tool runs both models and bills Pro when none is named.
Make the picture in the Playcut AI video generator, and check Playcut plans and monthly credits for your allowance. For image and video prompts that miss, use the guide to fixing a prompt symptom by symptom.